Loom parallel mechanism



Feb. 11', 1958 c. (a. MOON ETAL 2,822,827

LOOM PARALLEL MECHANISM Filed Oct. 26, 1955 INVENTOR. CLIFFORD G. Moon JOSEPH M. BUDZYNA A TTORNE V United States Patent LOOM PARALLEL MECHANISM Clifford G. Moon, Hopedale, and Joseph M; Budzyua, East Douglas, Mass., assignors to Draper Corporation, .Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application October 26, 1955, Serial No. 542,909

4 Claims. (Cl. 139-149) This invention pertains to improvements in parallel mechanism for looms, and more particularly, to means for preventing the parallel shoe and picker stick from jumping away from the parallel stand as the stick is picked.

It is a general object of the invention to improve a loom parallel mechanism, so that the characteristic jumping In loom parallels of the type which have a curved shoev rocking on a parallel stand, means is provided for limiting the movement of parts, but it is not such as to confine the action to a very precise one, and, in fact, as the picker stick is picked to propel the shuttle, the latter part of its movement is accompanied by a jumping action. This does not normally affect the shuttle as it will have left the picker, but there is an obviously undesirable, erratic movement of all parts which gives rise to wear, pounding and noise and shortens the life of parts. Means is built into the device to limit its jumping, but such means is not too effective, especially after wear has taken place. The presently used system comprises hook-like or forked abutments attached at the lower end of the stick and which engage, beneath the parallel stand. These actually make contact, if at all, at the end of the stick travel so that jumping is not restrained until that point. In fact, these are not tightly fitted so they do no more than limit the extent to which the parts may jump.

According to the invention hereinafter more particularly described, a combined rubber bumper or shock absorbing pad and spring system is provided for resisting the tendency of the parts to jump upwardly.

The invention will be described in detail by reference to one specific embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of parts at one end of a loom to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a view to enlarged scale showing the parallel mechanism of Fig. 1 with the picker stick in outermost position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the stick in innermost position.

Fig. 4 is a bottom View of the parallel, and

Fig. 5 is a section at line 5-5, Fig. 2.

Now referring to Fig. 1, part of the left-hand end only of a loom is shown including a loomside 10, lay beam 11, shuttle 12, rock shaft 13 and a picker stick 14. The stick is picked in the usual way through a lug connection 15 attached to a pick arm 16. The stick is moved from the full line position to approximately the position in dot-anddash lines.

As shown more clearly in the remaining figures, a parallel or parallel stand 17 is clamped by bolt 18 to the end of rock shaft 13. This stand is forked to provide a central A bolt 25 is passed through the forked part of the paral lel stand and carries a sleeve or bushing 26 centrally which, as usual, forms a fulcrum about which the stick may pivot. This sleeve is free to rotate on the bolt and lubrication is provided by pressure gun as indicated.

The stick 14 has attached thereto a parallel shoe 27, and a tongue 28. The shoe has the usual lower rockersurface 29 which bears upon the top, horizontal surface of the parallel stand and an upwardly directed clamping extension 30. A bolt 31 passes through extension 30, tongue 28, heel strap 32 and a washer 33 to bind the parts in fixed position. An adjusting screw 34 is threaded through the upper end ofthe extension 30 and is used to adjust laterally by a tongue 37 as is the usual construction. The

inner surface of the tongue 28 bears against the sleeve 26 and the stick pivots at that point as it swings to and fro from the full line to the dot-and-dash line positions, Fig. 1. The return movement is effected in any convenient manner as by a spring 38 and drum 39 to which the heel strap 32 is attached.

Heretofore, the tongue28'has been hooked to engage beneath the pivot pin or sleeve or has been provided with lateral projections which have engaged beneath the sides of the forked parallel stand. These make contact at the end of the picking stroke, but it is only metal to metal contact and wear comes quickly. Again, adjustment cannot be too close, so some slack is always present and thus jumping of the stick toward the end of the picking stroke is not entirely controlled even in a new installation.

In order better to control the motion of the stick and parallel shoe, a resilient, shock absorbing construction is provided which includes a rubber block shielded by a spring steel or equivalent impact receiving member preferably one of each at opposite sides of the parallel stand and positioned to be engaged by extensions or abutments at the lower end of the stick, more specifically at the tongue 28 clamped thereto.

As shown in the figures, the lower surfaces of the forked sides of the stand 17 are recessed to receive rubber or other resilient blocks 40 and 41. These are held in place by the spring strips 21 and 22 which are preferably of spring steel which assures that the blocks are compressed slightly as they are held in position by the springs and further, the spring material makes a hard, resilient surface against which lateral extensions or abutments 42 and 43 bear as the stick reaches its extreme position on the picking stroke. Preferably, the setting may be such that these extensions contact springs 21 and 22 before the end of the stroke so that there may be a deflection of the springs and compression of the rubber as the extreme position is'reached. Thus the stick may then jump only by a further compression or displacement of the stick controlling system.

With certain variations in the general construction of the parallel system, it is possible to use a single spring, rubber bumper and abutment, but with the conventional arrangement of parts it is more practical to employ a balanced, two bumper system as shown.

Rubber is the preferred material used for the shock absorbing pads or blocks, but it is to be understood that other and equivalent materials may be employed even though they are not specifically classifiable as rubber, either natural or synthetic.

During the first part of the picking stroke the pull of Patented Feb. 11, 1958 the lug connections is such as to maintain contact between the parallel shoe and the stand. However, toward the latter part of the picking stroke the direction of the applied forces change so the stick and shoe tendto jump upwardly. At that time the-lugs 42 and 43 being in contact with and resisted by the spring and compressed rubber, resist rising of the parallel shoe and stick thereby alleviating an undesirable characteristic of longstanding.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

' 1. Incombination with a loom parallelhaving an opening, a curved shoe rocking on said parallel, a picker'stick fixed in said shoe and extending through said opening in the parallel, a parallel tongue-fixed to thelower stick end and passing through the parallel opening, and an abutment extending laterally of the tongue at its lower end beneath and spaced from the parallel, a means for preventing jumping of the stick and shoe' as the stick is picked which comprises a resilient shock absorbing pad between the said abutment and lower side of the parallel and a spring member fixed to theparallel and interposed between the pad and abutment and pressing the pad against thelower side of the parallel, to transmit impact of the abutment to the pad.

2. In combination with aloom parallel having an opening, a curved shoe rocking on said parallel, a picker stick fixed in said shoe and extending through said opening in the parallel, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower stick end and passing through the parallel opening, and an abutment extending laterally of the tongue at its lower end beneath andspaced from the parallel, a means for preventing jumping of the stick and shoeas the stick is picked which comprises a rubber bumper block between i 4 s the said abutment and lower side of the parallel and a spring member fixed at one end to said parallel and retaining and continuously pressing the block against the lower side of the parallel, said spring member being interposed between the block and abutment to receive and transmit the impact of the abutment to the block.

3. In combination with aloom parallel having an opening, a curved. shoe. rocking on said parallel, apicker stick fixed in said shoe and extending through said'opening in the parallel, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower stick end and passing through; the parallel, opening, andabutments extending laterally of the tongue at its lower end beneath, and spaced from the parallel, ameans for preventing jumping of the stick and shoe as the stick is picked which comprisestwo-rubber bumper blocks, one at either side of said parallel and positioned between it and an adjacent abutment, and leaf springs fixed at one end to said parallel, their opposite ends serving continuously to press their respective blocks against the parallel and to receive and transmit the impact of the abutments to the blocks.

4. In combination with a loom parallel having an opening, a curved shoe rocking on said parallel, a picker I stick fixed in said shoe and extending through said opening in the parallel, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower stick end and passing through the parallel opening, and abutments extending laterally of the tongue at its lower end beneath and spaced from, the parallel, a means for preventing jumping of the. stick and shoe as the stick is picked which comprises bumper means for the said abutments, said bumper means including rubber blocks set in recesses in. the lower part of the parallel and metallic means interposed between each block and its abutment and continuously pressing the block into its recess for transmitting the impact thereof; through the block to the parallel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,024,036 Cote et a1. Apr. 23, 1912 

